Method of packaging



Nov. 11, 1941. w` A. scHoEN A 2,262,256

METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April 8, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l k \a/ 30 g' IN VENTOR.

rZM@4 JM Nov. l1, 1941. w. A. scHoEN 2,262,256

METHOD OF PACKAGING Filed April B, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 6l A T/ INVENTOR.

ORNEY.

METHOD OF PACKAGING Waiter A. Schoen, Milwaukee, Wis., asslgnor to Milprini, Inc.. Milwaukee. Wis., a corporation of Delaware Application April 8. 1939, Serial No. 266,764

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in the art of packaging diverse commodities, and relates more specifically to an improved package for disk-like objects such as buttons. and to an improved method of producing such packages.

Generally defined, an object oi my present invention is to provide an improved package. and a new method of facilitating production of the improved packages.

In the pearl and glass button industry, it has heretofore been universal commercial practice for many years, to merchandise the product by sewing small groups of the buttons on cards having advertising and other indicia on the front faces thereof. This sewing was ordinarily done by hand, and is not only very tedious. but also undesirablv increases the selling cost; and when the buttons are thus mounted for handling and display, they are not properly protected against dust and other foreign matter. While it has heretofore been proposed to provide special mounting cards for this classof merchandise, having die-cut individual pockets for conning and positioning the buttons. in regular order, this mode of packaging requires considerable care in handling and assembling. and also necessitates material investment in dies. .and has not therefore gone into extensive use. It has also been proposed to utilize transparent coverings to protect the buttons attached to the cards, but no satisfactoryA mode oi' applying these protective coverings at suficiently low cost, has heretofore been devised. Any method of packaging such objects as pearl or glass buttons, in order to' be commercial. must be adapted for exploitation conveniently and'at minimum cost, and must produce attractive and protective packages without danger of damaging the commodity.

It is therefore an object of the present invenzion. to provide a simple and highly practical nethod of producing highly attractive button iisplay packages, at moderate cost and without langer of marring or breaking the buttons.

Another specific object of my invention is to :rovide a new and useful display package for utton like objects, which will snugly corinne a :roup of the objects in regular order and which vill also protect them from foreign matter.

A further specific object of the invention is to rovide an improved mode of packaging such rticles as pearl buttons in groups of any desired lumber, with simple and readily manipulable aparatus, and without necessity of sewing.

These and other specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception of the several steps of my improved method of packaging and of a number of the improved packages resulting from exploitation of the process, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of .this specification. wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

Fig. i is a top view of one type of apparatus which may be utilized to carry on my improved packaging method. showing the electric heater swung into inactive position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section through a fragment of the apparatus of Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line 2 2;

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged transverse section through a fragment of the apparatus. the section being taken along the line 3 3 and the heating device being shown in action;-

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the apparatus showing the initial package assembly step.

Fig.- 5 is a similar sectional view ,showing the second step of the packaging method;

Fig. 6 is another similar section depicting the third step;

Fig. l is still another similar section of the device illustrating the fourth packaging step;

Fig. 8 is a further illustrative section of the assemblage showing the fifth step;

Fig. 9 is a showing of the sixth and final packing operation;

Fig. l0 is a plan view of a package containing a group of a dozen instead of a half-dozen buttons; and

Fig. l1 is a similar view of a package containing only four larger buttons arranged in diamond formation.

While the invention has been illustrated and described herein as being especially useful in packaging a particular type of commodity, namely peari buttons of a few shapes and sizes arranged in a iew ditferent kinds of groups, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily limit the scope or utility of the improvement.

Referring to the drawings, and especially to Figs. i to 3 inclusive, the special apparatus illustrated therein comprises in general, a support I 4 having a plane metal face plate i5 attached thereto; a U-shaped plate IE secured to the face plate i5 and having a rectangular cut-out il 55' therein; a positioning plate i8 secured to the ce plate i by a hinge i! and being formed to iapted to coact with a package disposed withinl le cut-out i1, and being movable with the aid a handle 2B.

The plates i5. i6, IB, 2li may be formed oi reet metal. and the plates I6. Il are preferaly of about the same thickness while the plates 5, may be somewhat thinner'. The button ositioning plate 2U, is provided with a maniputting post 21 for effecting convenient swingig of this plate 20 about the hinge 2i, and :vinging ot the larger plate it about the hinge Il: nd the small plate 20 has one or more button saclng and positioning openings 2l therein dapted to coact with a group of buttons 29 s shown in Fig. l. The shape and size of 1e openings 28 may be varied to suit the selected ,ze and grouping of difierent kinds of buttons 9, 29', 2S" as will be clearly apparent from 'igs. 1, i0 and 1l, and the hinge 2i is therefore rade readily detachable so as to permit several iodied plates 2li to be interchangeably applied. he heater 23 may be either of the electric or of ny other well known type: and when the grid 5 of this heater which is also replaceable with thers, is applied to a package within the cutut Il as in Fig. 3, any desired degree of presure may be applied to the handle 28.

When utilizing the above described appaatus in carrying on my improved packaging nethod and in the production of my improved |ackages, several successive steps are desirable. These are clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 to 9 in- `lusive, and will be described by referring to these ilustrations. In Fig. l, I have shown the heater 13 removed from the cut-out I1, the plate il lositioned within this cut-out, and the small :late 2li swung out of the rectangular opening 22 n the plate I8. A relatively thin eardboard ,heet having two adjacent parallel elongated vindow openings 3l therein, has been inserted within the opening 22 with its outer face resting ipon the plate i5; and a rectangular sheet l2 if transparent material having a rubber base and which is adapted to soften and to become adhesive when heated, has been positioned within the :pening 22 above the sheet 36. This is the first step of the assembly method.

After the front sheet 30 has been positioned face down and the transparent sheet 22 has been superimposed thereon within the opening 22, the plate 2li should be swung into the opening 22 as shown in Fig. 5. A group of the buttons 29 may then be inserted within the positioning openings 28 of the plate 20, and caused to rest upon the upper surface of the transparent sheet I2, thus completing the second step. The button positioning plate 2li may thereafter be removed from the opening 22 as in Fig. 6, to leave the buttons 29 resting in regular order upon the sheet 32, whereupon a cardboard backing sheet 33 may be insorted into the opening 22 above the buttons 2l as depicted in Fig. 7. This completes assembly of the various parts of the package, and the plate IB may then be swung out of the cut-out I1 as shown in Fig. 8, to leave the package assemblage resting unconflned upon the plate il.

With the parts thus positioned, the heater 22 may be swung downwardly into the cut-out il and into engagement with the backing cardboard sheet 22. and heat should be simultaneously applied to the grid 2l. By applying down ward pressure to the handle 28, the grid 25 will press the portions of the backing sheet 28 beyond and between the button rows downwardly into intimate contact with tbe transparent sheet 22, and the sheet 22 will be simultaneously heated and softened so as to make the surfaces of the compressed portions sticky. The sheet 22 will thus be adhesively attached to both of the card board sheets 2li, I2 entirely around each row or group of buttons 2l, and the buttons will be snugly connned within hermetically sealed pockets and cannot become displaced. It is also noteworthy that when this sealing o! the pack. age is being effected, the backing sheet 22 and the window portions of the transparent sheet 22 are distorted so as to provide a relatively fiat and thin final package which can be readily stacked, and the front face of the sheet 3l may be provided with printed and decorative matter around the openings Il so as to produce an extremely attractive package.

The invention may obviously be applied to produce packages of 'various sizes, shapes and designs, and for packaging buttons 29, 29', 2l" of diiferent sizes land number. While the adhesive eifect produced by the transparent sheet $2 is suilicient to normally hold the packages iirmly assembled, it is insunicient to prevent the sheets from being pried apart in order to gain access to the buttons. The improved method may obviously be carried on in an expeditious manner and by a novice, and with a moderate amount of experience, the successive packages may be quickly and etiectively produced. The successive packages produced by this method, are moreover uniform in construction, and if the grid heater is of proper construction, danger of scorching or breaking the buttons is entirely eliminated. The invention has proven highly satisfactory in actual use. and the equipment required for commercial exploitation is obviously relatively simple, inexpensive. and readily manipulable.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact steps of the method or to the precise details of'construction of the package, herein described and illustrated, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

l. The method of packaging disk-like commooxiitiesl which comprises, superimposing a transparent sheet having a heat fusible surface upon a relatively stift sheet having an opening therein, positioning the disk-like objects upon the transparent sheet above the opening in said still' sheet. placing a backing sheet upon the positloned objects, and applying heat and pressure to the sheets around the lobjects to unite the sheets and confine the objects in position. j

2. 'I'he method of packaging buttons, which comprises. superimposing a transparent sheet having a heat fusible surface upon a facing sheet having a window Opening therein, positioning a group of the buttons in regular order upon the transparent sheet above the opening in the facing sheet, placing a backing sheet upon the pre-V posltioned buttons, and applying heat and pressure to the edge portions of the sheets around the group.

3. The method of packaging buttons or the likel which comprises, placing a facing sheet having a window opening therein upon a dat surface. placing a transparent sheet upon said facing sheet across said opening, positioning a group of buttons upon said transparent sheet above said opening, placing a backing sheet upon the pre-positioned buttons, and adhesively uniting the edge portions of said sheets to confine the buttons between said transparent and backing sheets in line with said opening.

4. The method of packaging buttons or the like, which comprises placing a facing sheet having a window opening therein upon a support, placing a transparent sheet of approximately the same size upon said facing sheet across said opening, positioning buttons upon said transparent sheet over said openingl placing a backing sheet of approximately the same size upon the prepositioned buttons. and applying heat and pressure to the edge portions of the three sheets to unite the same and confine the buttons.

5. 'I'he method of packaging flat articles, which comprises, superimposing a transparent sheet upon a sheet provided with an opening, positioning the articles upon said transparent sheet above said opening, placing a backing sheet thereover, and adhesively uniting the sheets to confine the objects therebetween.

6. The method of packaging relatively ilat articles, which comprises, superimposing a transparent sheet having a heat fusible surface upon a sheet provided with a recess. positioning th articles upon the transparent sheet above sai recess, placing a backing sheet thereover, an applying heat and pressure to the sheets aroun the objects to adhesively unite the sheets.

'7. The method o! packaging a group of disll like articles, which comprises, superimposing transparent sheet upon a sheet provided with a opening, positioning the articles upon the tran: parent sheet above and within the margin of sai opening, placing a backing sheet thereover, an adhesively uniting the sheets to coniine the oi: jects therebetween.

8. The method of packaging a group of rela tively ilat articles, which comprises, superirr posing a transparent sheet having a heat fusib surface upon a sheet provided with a recess, pos' tionlng the articles upon the transparent she above and within the margin of said recess, pla: ing a backing sheet thereover, and heat sealin directly around the periphery ci said recess.

9. The method o! packaging ilat articles. whic comprises, positioning a plural group of the a1 ticles upon one sheet oi' thin heat scalable an flexible material. covering the group with al other sheet of relatively heavy and stili materia and simultaneously heat sealing said sheets con pleteiy around the group in the plane of the sti while distorting the thin sheet out of said plan and while also positively preventing lateral shit' ing of the several articles out of their initial pos tions.

WALTER A. SCHOEN. 

